Originally Posted by Shesul:I think marketing is the keyword here. What better way to get noticed these days where people seem to believe anything they read than to create the cute story of the "1st year student without means" to appear on social networks and forums like the next "wunderkind" who'll end up for sure on tv news and billion views on youtube? From his own Vimeo:

Really? A professional musician, a professional actor doing the voices AND an agent? How many 22 year old in school do you know with the means to get all that? And an agent to promote your story and animation to the whole world? And people believe in fables about not having the means to do it before school etc? I wouldn't be surprised if a silent team was behind the modeling and compositing. The animation was shoddy at parts (the escape looks like stop motion bobbin' up and down, his cliche'd slow motion jump at the robot head looks terrible specially after the music buildup).

I don't get why these days, in spite of the massive amount of free knowledge around and very nice hardware available for home consumers, stuff like this and other overrated products like the Tears of Steel, the Blender pastiche of bad CG and mediocre animation (they couldn't even get the robots frame-rate right at the end) gets praised. I understand the general audience who still gets hypnotized by lens flares, but not trained artists who should have higher standards and not be mesmerized by fairy tales and a forgiving rethoric "oh, its ok, that shot there didn't even make sense but he's still only a first year student" but then scrutinize to the frame an established studio production.

In my humble and probably against the tide view, once you upload something on the tubes to promote yourself, it doesn't matter your background, if its something from Blur, Disney or a poor "genius 15 year old kid who found a computer while running from a lion and learned 3D in his night time with a book he found on the trash", you should be evaluated in the same terms and standards and your background shouldn't ever affect trained critics, specially with the ease it is to create a nice marketing strategy based on some "awww" story.

+1 (but it wont be, because people in general .... never get sick of hearing "awww" story)

An addition to the one man team "marketing" angle people love so much in the age of social media as opposed to just you know, watching it, is the whole "flies against convention" angle. Which is great, don't get me wrong b/c I'm tired of seeing fiction in movies and TV about Irish cops in New York, but it doesn't automatically mean it's good lol.

Sounds like some are angry because they don't have an agent. I disagree with some of the points because, in the end, all entertainment is a product. If "Made by two bears in the woods with special keyboards" is a part of the marketing, then it is a part of the product. If a show gets a billion views because people want to see what two bears in the woods made with special keyboards, then it is both a successful product with successful marketing. No one in their right mind will lump it in with Transformers and Pirates of the Caribbean for judgement.

Remember what entertainment was before film and TV? "Come one come all and see the lizard boy!" Remember all that? It's still the same thing today. We just have more tools to do it with.

Originally Posted by teruchan:Sounds like some are angry because they don't have an agent. I disagree with some of the points because, in the end, all entertainment is a product. If "Made by two bears in the woods with special keyboards" is a part of the marketing, then it is a part of the product. If a show gets a billion views because people want to see what two bears in the woods made with special keyboards, then it is both a successful product with successful marketing. No one in their right mind will lump it in with Transformers and Pirates of the Caribbean for judgement.

Remember what entertainment was before film and TV? "Come one come all and see the lizard boy!" Remember all that? It's still the same thing today. We just have more tools to do it with.

Originally Posted by Pyke:You would be surprised at how a friendly email will get people involved in your project. I have had some very top tier voice artists, and composers email me about working on my project, for the joy of collaboration, and having a cool portfolio piece. ...

Pyke is right.

It worked for some ppl at my university too.
Some better/pro voices said "yes", just to support students or non commercial projects when the project itself wasnt awful (for just a few bucks)..

But i still cant understand this kind of hype about Rha and dont know why everyone and it's mom was/is "Waaaa!"..

Since i readed words like "wunderkind", i ask myself:
Is it rly so easy, to impress "Hollywood" and the international press nowadays?

On a side note:
For those interested in developing your own stories (in any media) in a nurturing environment, I would suggest joining our local IP incubator club:IP Incubator Club Thread 2013: Bi-Week-005: June 3-June 16- 2013
Anyone can join, and it might provide the connection to take your animated short to the next level.
I a working on some ideas to make this happen, but he more people we have the more power we get.
Please do check it out.

Originally Posted by RobertoOrtiz:On a side note:
For those interested in developing your own stories (in any media) in a nurturing environment, I would suggest joining our local IP incubator club:IP Incubator Club Thread 2013: Bi-Week-005: June 3-June 16- 2013
Anyone can join, and it might provide the connection to take your animated short to the next level.
I a working on some ideas to make this happen, but he more people we have the more power we get.
Please do check it out.

-R

That's a cool idea, seems like the logical progression from the old collaborator forums and maybe something with better follow-through potential than those had.

Remember what entertainment was before film and TV? "Come one come all and see the lizard boy!" Remember all that? It's still the same thing today. We just have more tools to do it with.

I think the "come look at the lizard boy!" phase was for the benefit of studio people--not the public.

By the time the film comes out the issue will be whether having someone involved in the Star Wars prequels is a negative. No one will care how many hits the short got online or probably remember it.
The primary marketing angle now appears to be the idea of a film with no human characters(assuming that stays in place).
I think the most interesting thing about it is whether McCallum will play the yes man role or insist on creative input...ha .come to think of it, it is still a lizard boy situation because one might expect a train wreck or a freak show and so the final movie could be a bit like going to a carnival and wondering what is behind a curtain. Something of wonder or an object of pity?

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